Cleveland Heights Council brings seasoned veteran Jim Posch on board with appointment | |
From Cleveland.com
From Heights Libraries trustee to school board member to interim city councilman.
Coinciding with the first round of the NFL draft, Cleveland Heights City Council made their own pick Thursday night (April 25), selecting Jim Posch to fill the vacancy on the seven-member, at-large panel after Janine Boyd resigned last month.
Posch’s appointment came a week ahead of the 45-day deadline of May 2. After that, it would have been up to Mayor Kahlil Seren to make the call.
Posch was selected from an original field of 17 applicants, although six withdrew along the way.
“I’m grateful for council’s confidence in me,” Posch said after his new colleagues held a 45-minute executive session, then a brief meeting for the official vote.
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Fourteen Cleveland Heights firefighters and eight officers sworn in and promoted | |
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Thirteen firefighters and eight officers, including the city’s ninth Cleveland Heights Fire Department (CHFD) Chief, James Harry, took their oaths of office at CHFD’s Promotion and Oath Ceremony at the Cleveland Heights Community Center on Monday, April 22, 2024.
The Promotion Ceremony was the first one held in nearly five years because of Covid-19 and served to catch up nine firefighters who are currently serving.
“The Swearing-In Ceremony is a grand tradition in The Fire Service,” said Chief Harry. “It’s a welcome to the 13 firefighters and eight officers we’ve added to our ranks over the last 4 to 5 years and a nod to their dedication to serving Cleveland Heights.”
Mayor Kahlil Seren opened the ceremony, delivering remarks and swearing in Chief Harry (pictured above right), who, in turn, administered the oath of office to his Assistant Chief, Nathan Preuer.
The Chief and Assistant Chief then swore in the following roll of officers and firefighters:
Battalion Chief
Lieutenants
- Nathan Monroe
- Ryan Coughlin
- Daniel Pajek
- Corey Kendig
- Daniel DeMichele
Firefighters
- Joseph Hollinshead
- Scott Habel
- Raymond Guerrini
- Kyle Haag
- Sajjankuma Patel
- Brennen Fletcher
- Richard McGinnis
- Regis Kendig
- Nicolas Ziolkowski
- Bryan Mitchell
- Tyler Nicholls
- Tyler Anderson
- Jacob Stanevich
This Promotion and Oath Ceremony takes CHFD to 74 full-time firefighters, one shy of its full complement, in addition to its five administrative staff. All firefighters working in the city are also state-certified Paramedics. The department is preparing to post the position of the last firefighter.
Congratulations to all who were sworn in and promoted and thank you for helping keep our city safe!
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Access Cleveland Heights Update
The City of Cleveland Heights has encountered a few unexpected challenges rolling out its new Access Cleveland Heights platform, which was expected to launch on April 1. We now expect the new app will be available to residents by mid-May. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
While the new mobile app is not yet live, you can still access Cleveland Heights by:
We appreciate your patience during this transition and will let you know how to access the new app when it goes live.
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Mayors plant tree together as part of Annual Arbor Day Celebration | |
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Cleveland Heights’ Mayor Kahlil Seren and East Cleveland Mayor Brandon King joined together this morning, Friday, April 26, to celebrate Arbor Day by planting a magnolia tree at the intersection of Noble Road and Monticello Boulevard.
The place where the tree was planted has a unique history. Thanks to a quirk of municipal history, the property is in East Cleveland but is owned by Cleveland Heights, making it a perfect location for this year's tree planting.
“Trees provide so much,” said Seren. “They are essential for a healthy environment. They sequester carbon, clean our air, provide shade, and reduce flooding. There’s even a direct connection between planting trees and a reduction in crime. When we are in tune with our environment, we all do better.”
Mayor King added, “We’re coming together on Arbor Day, an event that happens the world over on multiple days, to plant trees” because they are shared resources.
Today's Arbor Day celebration continued Mayor Seren's tradition of planting a tree in partnership with a neighboring community. In 2022, Mayor Seren planted a tree with University Heights Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan, and in 2023, Mayor Seren planted a tree with Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss.
Cuyahoga County Soil and Water Conservation provided dogwood and white oak saplings to those attending the ceremony.
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Would you like a free tree for your tree lawn? | |
In the spring and fall, the City of Cleveland Heights plants trees on tree lawns throughout the city.
The Division of Forestry is taking requests to plant spring trees in residents' tree lawns while supplies last. There are three tree species to choose from:
- Eastern Redbud
- Flowering Dogwood
- White Oak
If you would like a free tree planted in your tree lawn, please call 216-691-7317.
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Calling All Budding Performers. Grades 2–8! | |
A second round of auditions for Madagascar, Jr. will be held for children finishing grades 2–8 on Sunday, May 5, from Noon to 2 pm, at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, 1 Monticello Boulevard, in Activity Room 7. Take the elevator or stairs closest to the Ice Rink to the second floor.
For this audition, kids will sing a song of their choice and read scenes from the show.
There is no participation fee for this show!
Here’s what the director will be looking for:
- Can you sing your song on tune and on tempo?
- Do you put a little emotion into what you’re singing?
- How loudly can you sing?
- Are you a good fit for one of the characters they are looking to cast?
- Does your personality come through?
- Do you smile,, and are you having fun?
Rehearsals will be held Monday through Thursday from 6:30–8:30 pm (except June 19, July 1, July 3, July 4, and July 8), and on Sunday, June 30, and Sunday, July 7, 1:00-3:00 pm. Our rehearsal space is TBD.
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Just Announced!
Big Head Todd & The Monsters | August 15
| Big Head Todd and The Monsters have persisted as a rare force of nature in rock 'n' roll. The platinum-selling Colorado quartet-Todd Park Mohr [vocals, guitar, keys, sax, harmonica], Brian Nevin [drums], Rob Squires [bass, vocals], and Jeremy Lawton [keyboards, lap pedal/steel guitar, vocals]-have consistently churned out undeniable and often uplifting anthems fueled by a hybrid of no-nonsense hard rock, simmering soul, dyed-in-the-wool blues, and a twist of country. | |
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Join The Alma Club by purchasing tickets to multiple shows in one transaction, and receive discounts, premium seating, and additional benefits.
The 2024 Cain Park Theater Season includes four shows:
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The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
May 31 – June 9
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A View from the Bridge
September 6 – 15
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Alma Club Levels
Debut Level 4 tickets / 2 or more performances – $120
Encore Level 8 tickets / 4 or more performances – $216
Ovation Level 10 or more tickets / 4 or more performances – $250
All tickets must be purchased on one transaction. The purchase must be made over the phone by calling 216-371-3000 or in person at the Cain Park Ticket Office.
Preview and Discount Performances do not apply.
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Cedar-Lee has a new, paved path during construction
A new neighbor is rising in the Cedar-Lee District. The Marquee, a new development that is bringing new residents and retail to the heart of Cedar-Lee, is well underway.
As construction continues, the city and the Marquee’s developer and construction team have worked to improve the temporary walkway from the Cedar-Lee garage to the shops on Lee Road. A new paved asphalt path is now ready for foot traffic.
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You may soon be able to take that drink to go in Cedar-Lee | |
From Cleveland.com (paywall)
The proposal was forwarded to City Council April 15. If adopted, it would be forwarded to the State of Ohio for conditional approval.
It’s an idea initially put forward by business owners in the nearly 18-acre commercial district -- the city’s largest -- running from Cedar to Dellwood roads on the east side of Lee Road.
On the west side of Lee, the DORA would only extend to the property line of Bryan’s Marathon, the northernmost of two gas stations on either side of Essex Road.
“The Cedar-Lee DORA would allow individuals to walk within the DORA boundaries with an alcoholic beverage purchased from a liquor permit-holding establishment during permitted periods,” the application from Mayor Kahlil Seren states...
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Cleveland Heights to host Climate Action and Resiliency Plan Visioning Workshop
Wednesday, May 8
7:00–8:30 pm
Cleveland Heights Community Center
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The City of Cleveland Heights is embarking on a groundbreaking journey to create its very first Climate Action and Resiliency Plan (CARP). In this CARP, we will identify strategies for the city and community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate impacts, while advancing our equity, sustainability, and resilience goals. This is an opportunity to come together, share our ideas, and co-create a vision for a sustainable future that reflects the values and aspirations of every member of our community.
To kick off our community engagement series, we are hosting a Visioning Workshop to gain insights on climate impacts facing Cleveland Heights and understand the community’s priorities for the CARP. And we want to hear from YOU! Whether you're passionate about renewable energy, sustainable transportation, or equitable access to resources, your input will shape the future of Cleveland Heights.
Refreshments and light snacks will be provided. Translation services can be arranged in advance upon request. Child-friendly activities will be available on-site.
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Cleveland Heights seeks to create a sustainable and equitable future | |
From Cleveland Jewish News
Come join Cleveland Heights as we build a sustainable and equitable future; Cleveland Heights is a diverse, welcoming community within minutes of Downtown and University Circle.
As the city’s first elected mayor, my focus is building on Cleveland Heights’ tradition as a “home to the arts” - with smart investments in the city’s arts park at Cain Park - and building on vibrant, connected neighborhoods and commercial districts.
We are making Cleveland Heights more walkable, bikeable, green and safe, starting with delivering on long-standing desires for mixed-use, infill development to anchor our walkable districts.
The capacity at city hall finally matches the energy and enthusiasm of Cleveland Heights’ residents, including new residents moving in. Cleveland Heights is a destination for people who value distinctive architecture, stately tree-lined streets, a variety of housing, dining, and entertainment options, and diversity.
I’m excited about the future and invite you to visit Cleveland Heights to be part of the excitement in building a diverse, creative, equitable and sustainable community.
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Cleveland Heights celebrated Earth Day! | |
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Cleveland Heights celebrated Earth Day on Monday, April 22, with the annual 5K Fun Run and Bike Ride at Forest Hill Park.
Many thanks to the volunteers who collected litter in and around the park and Friends of Heights Parks volunteers who refreshed the pollinator garden in front of the Senior Center!
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At one Northeast Ohio salon, upcoming FDA ban on hair chemicals is way behind the times |  | |
From ideastream
Peerless Hair Salon in Cleveland Heights is quiet on a Tuesday morning in April. One client wraps up her appointment under a hair dryer while another waits her turn by the front window. A third settles into a chair.
The salon has called Taylor Road home for eight years, but Sherry Harvey has styled hair for more than 25. The Cleveland native has seen hair trends come and go, just like hair products — including chemical hair relaxers.
Like many salons, Peerless Hair Salon doesn't use relaxers and hasn't for years.
"It's the stuff that you put in deceased people. Yeah, no," said Nodja D., who owns Peerless Hair Salon.
"The question is, how did it ever make it to the market?" Harvey added.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is tentatively scheduled to announce a proposal this month that would ban use of formaldehyde in hair products, 12 years after the chemical was classified as a carcinogen by the National Research Council.
Formaldehyde has been a common ingredient in chemical hair relaxers sometimes used by Black women to straighten curly hair. Products that contain formaldehyde, formalin or methylene glycol are applied before a heat tool is used to straighten the hair. When the solution is heated, formaldehyde is released into the air as a gas...
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Noble Elementary Parents Take NOTE! | |
VOTES NEEDED: Check out this educator in the running for America's Favorite Teacher | |
From WEWS-News Channel 5
At Cleveland Heights High School, Leatrice Clark is in the running for America’s Favorite Teacher.
She’s currently in first place out of 10 teachers in her group, which Karim Azzam said isn’t a surprise.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity. I’m very excited for her, and I feel as if she has the stamina to be America’s favorite teacher because that’s my favorite teacher,” said Azzam, a senior at Cleveland Heights High School.
Azzam and students like Eryn Jones, tell News 5 it’s been a privilege to have Ms. Clark as their Honors Biology teacher.
“She feels like a family member almost. Like I really, really love Ms. Clark,” said Jones, a freshman at Cleveland Heights High School.
This love, patience and care is something both students and Principal Dr. Brandon Towns are hopeful will help Clark bring home the title as America’s Favorite Teacher on June 7...
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Cleveland Heights approves loan for Caledonia storefront rehab | |
From Cleveland.com (paywall)
With the new and vastly improved “Nobility Court” apartment complex proposal passing muster with the Architectural Board of Review last week, city officials are now looking at a smaller-scale upgrade to a row of storefronts around the block.
The proposed $14.7 million affordable housing project formerly known as “Noble Station” should appear before City Council next month in order to meet an already-extended deadline for state housing tax credits.
Meanwhile, on the corner of North Taylor and Nela View roads, council approved a $100,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Storefront Renovation Loan April 15.
The money will be used to improve a row of businesses’ overall appearance to attract new tenants and neighborhood “amenities.”
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Cleveland Heights' Senior Housing Specialist Provides Testimony on 'Lead Safe' House Bill | |
Cleveland Heights joined with Cleveland and other cities at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus on Tuesday, April 22, 2024, to provide opponent testimony to a committee considering House Bill 280, which would force municipalities to weaken their ordinances protecting families from lead poisoning.
The stated purpose of HB 280 is "to expand the use of the Lead Abatement Tax Credit and ensure that municipalities that implement a lead-safe certificate program do not make the process of compliance overly burdensome for their property owners and taxpayers."
“While on the surface this appears to be a noble purpose, digging more deeply into the bill yields grave concerns for Ohio’s lead safe ordinances,” Zach Ravanelli, Senior Rehab Specialist for Cleveland Heights, testified.
In 2022, Cleveland Heights adopted a Lead Safe Ordinance, which was recently renewed by Cleveland Heights City Council.
“This bill would cause major confusion with our ordinance and cause us to revise, change or overhaul our ordinance, therefore delaying lead safe rules and causing more children to remain in lead hazardous housing,” Ravanelli added.
Among other concerns, HB280 would allow the same company that conducts lead abatement to inspect and certify their own work, causing “a serious conflict of interest.”
“This provision is particularly alarming,” Revanelli said, “since this appears to be contrary to HUD’s guidance on the subject, which considers it a conflict for the same contractor conducting the clearance exam to perform the interim controls.”
"HB280 could have a chilling effect on other communities considering similar ordinances,” he concluded. “It is essential that we encourage all municipal efforts to combat lead poisoning and minimize the barriers to doing so.”
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April is Fair Housing Month | |
Where to find housing assistance in Greater Cleveland | |
From Signal Cleveland
In “Still struggling’: How Clevelanders are getting squeezed by higher rents as assistance dries up,” Signal Cleveland took a look at how most of (pandemic-era) federal rental assistance has already been given out. We also examined what not having this funding could potentially mean in the Cleveland metro area, which has ranked high nationally for its high rent increases since the pandemic.
But there is some pandemic rental assistance funding left for Greater Cleveland residents who haven’t rebounded from the COVID-related economic downturn and are still having difficulty paying rent and other housing costs...
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MetroHealth offers free health screenings at two locations THIS Saturday | |
From Cleveland.com
The MetroHealth System’s Men’s Health Fair expands this year to two locations on Saturday, with dozens of free health screenings, health education and career resources.
The Men’s Health Fair will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Alex B. Johnson Center at the Cuyahoga Community College Metropolitan Campus, 2900 Community College Ave.
The second location is MetroHealth’s Cleveland Heights Medical Center, 10 Severance Circle...
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Two Cedar-Fairmount District Restaurants named among Cleveland's 25 Best Restaurants | |
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Congratulations Vero Pizza Napoletana and Zhug!
Read the reviews in Cleveland Magazine.
(Scroll to the bottom of the article. The restaurants are alphabetized, so Vero and Zhug are the last two.)
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New Coventry PEACE Park Fundraiser Eclipses Goal for Basketball Half Court | |
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The New Coventry PEACE Park will have a basketball half court thanks to dozens of donors who stepped up to the line with $27,948, which will be matched in full for a total of $55,896.
“We are grateful for the community’s growing support of the New Coventry PEACE Park. The basketball half court is among the top features requested during Heights Libraries’ seven open design sessions and 700+ surveys,” said Jack Valancy, president of Fund for the Future of Heights Libraries.
The New Coventry PEACE Park will be “new” from the ground up, starting with regrading to create accessible walking paths, 100+ new trees, a pollinator garden, and rainwater filtration. A 20-foot-high cardinal play structure will invite children to climb up, climb in, and look out for a bird's-eye view. Other play equipment will welcome children of all abilities.
Though many old trees have been removed so as not to interfere with bat nesting season, most of the Park will be accessible until construction fences go up on June 17. The groundbreaking will be on Sunday, July 7. With an efficient construction schedule and cooperating weather, the New Coventry PEACE Park will be ready to welcome the community in December.
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Parks and Recreation Programs | | |
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Senior violin soloist, Sophia Muller, will perform The Lark Ascending by Vaughn Williams at the Friday, April 26 concert. | |
Lake Erie Ink Teen Program | |
Grades 6-8
July 8-12 | 1-4pm | $125
Through hands-on activities, work-shops, and group projects, participants will learn the fundamentals of storytelling, script development, and creative content creation. Participants will have the opportunity to bring their ideas to life and share their creativity with the world. Whether it’s scripting a short film, creating engaging social media content, or developing a podcast, this camp empowers young creators to express themselves and explore the exciting world of digital media.
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Grades 6-12
Mondays | 6:30-8pm
June 10-July 22 | FREE
Pride Outside is a unique program designed to provide a safe and inclusive space for young individuals within the LGBTQ+ community and allies to explore and express their creative writing talents. Through workshops, group discussions, and public art, teens will have the opportunity to develop their writing skills, hone their storytelling abilities, and contribute to a vibrant collection of LGBTQ+ literature.
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Grades 9-12
Mondays & Tuesdays | July 8-30 | 5-8pm | FREE
Calling all podcasters and audio storytellers! In this intensive summer workshop just for teens, you’ll report, write and produce a short nonfiction audio story about your life or community… in just four weeks!
You’ll learn how to gather sound, do interviews, pull tape, write scripts… and get an awesome audio story together. Finished pieces will be shared in a special exhibition at the close of the workshop. Participants who complete the program and share their work at the exhibition will receive a stipend. Click here for more information.
Sign up now; space is limited for this program!
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Grades 6-12
Thursdays | 6:30-8pm | June 13-July 18 | FREE
Poetry in the Park is a teen program that invites young poets and poetry enthusiasts to come together and express themselves in the serene setting of a local park. This program provides a platform for teenagers to share their original poems, engage in open mic sessions, and participate in creative writing workshops.
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Please join FutureHeights at CC'24 #1: Active Transportation - Living Less Car-Centric in the Heights, their first forum of 2024 on Tuesday, April 30 from 7:00-8:30pm at Made Cleveland (1807 Coventry Road) where they will discuss the first community-selected topic of their four-part series: "Active Transportation - Living Less Car-Centric in the Heights." These forums are in-person only. | |
The next City Council meeting will be held on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 7:30 pm, in the Council Chamber.
It will be preceded by a Committee of the Whole meeting at 6:00 pm in the Executive Conference Room. Both meetings may be viewed live on YouTube.
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